The Role of Astrocytes in Promoting Glioblastoma Pathogenicity

For this review, we study the ways that astrocytes lead to increased glioblastoma (GBM) cancer cell survival by interacting with the tumor microenvironment (TME). GBM cells exploit and alter surrounding somatic cells, such as astrocytes, to fuel their growth and metastasis. Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the central nervous system (CNS) and occupy important roles in maintaining the blood-brain barrier and stabilizing synapses. Tumor-associated astrocytes (TAAs) help tumor progression by interacting with players of the TME. In summary, astrocytes support GBM pathogenicity by transferring mitochondria and cholesterol and directly promoting immunosuppression through the modulation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Targeting non-GBM cells such as astrocytes, which directly promotes its development, could become a new option for treating the lethal GBM disease. A further understanding of the interaction involved in astrocyte-driven GBM pathogenicity could identify promising molecular targets and effective strategies against GBM.